Chapter 21: Gaoyang, I Have Plenty of Stories About You Here

Chapter 21: Gaoyang, I Have Plenty of Stories About You

Li Shimin could never have imagined that this eccentric, adorable, and willful Princess Gaoyang would, in just a few short years, take a small knife to his "kettledrum"—giving him quite the eye-opening experience.

His sister, Princess Fangling (Princess Yongjia), had already given him enough of an education in scandal. He hadn't expected that in a couple of years, his own daughter would make him involuntarily ask, "Is there an even higher level of 'high'?"

"Brother Li, have you forgotten? Didn't we say last time that Gaoyang’s rebellion dragged Li Ke down with her?" Li Qing whispered to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin wiped the sweat from his brow and said with a forced smile, "So it was a rebellion. I thought it was..."

He stopped halfway, realizing something was wrong. A rebellion wasn't exactly a good thing either, was it?

"It’s not for her rebellion that Princess Gaoyang became famous, Brother Li," Li Qing said, relishing the gossip. "Are you planning to marry her off to Fang Yiai, the son of Fang Xuanling?"

"That is my intention." Li Shimin couldn't help but wonder if Fang Yiai had instigated Gaoyang’s rebellion. That boy never seemed like much—idle and unlearned. To think that a man as great as Fang Xuanling would end up with such a disappointment of a son...

"I’d advise you not to坑 that poor Fang Yiai, really," Li Qing said, full of sympathy. "In the future, whenever anyone mentions Fang Yiai, they’ll see a vibrant shade of green before their eyes."

"Brother, what do you mean?" Li Shimin felt a jolt in his heart; whenever his brother spoke like this, it was never good news. Although he didn't know what "green" implied, his intuition told him it wasn't a compliment.

"After your dear daughter, Princess Gaoyang, marries Fang Yiai, she has no affection for him at all. Instead, she gets tangled up in a heated affair with a monk named Bianji..." Li Qing glanced at Gaoyang, who was pouting while receiving a lecture from Li Chengqian, and continued, "It’s said this Fang the Second even stood guard for them. Tsk, tsk... the lifelong reputation of Chancellor Fang was ruined by him."

When it came to Princess Gaoyang, Li Qing could only say that he had plenty of stories about her.

Li Shimin’s lips trembled for a long time. He contributed over three thousand emotional value points to Li Qing and spat out viciously, "The influence is absolutely atrocious!"

"Starting with her, the princesses of the Great Tang essentially became a joke," Li Qing said sympathetically. "Any fool knows that a Tang princess is not to be wed."

Li Shimin’s blood pressure soared again.

"Stop, say no more..." Li Shimin held his forehead, hurriedly cutting Li Qing off. Even though his high blood pressure had subsided, hearing this was still unbearable.

It was true, come to think of it. Infidelity was one thing, but the object of that infidelity being a monk—and, most importantly, leaving a heavy mark in history—regardless of whether it was positive or negative, it was a mark nonetheless.

Even in modern times, this would be hard to accept. The last woman who got involved with a monk, Pan Qiaoyun, ended up being hacked to pieces by Yang Xiong.

Li Shimin lost all appetite for his meal. His mind was filled with the future Li Qing had just described. Even while eating, it tasted like wax; he had no heart to dwell on anything else.

The princes and princesses of the Tang, however, felt no such psychological burden. Except for the preoccupied Li Tai and Princess Gaoyang, who had just been ordered by Li Chengqian to copy the *Classic of Filial Piety for Women* five times, everyone’s attention was focused on the hot pot.

There is a saying that hot pot existed long ago, though back then it was called "Antique Stew," named after the sound of food hitting the boiling water. In reality, Antique Stew and hot pot were not very close; the distance between them was about the same as that between sliced noodles and Italian pasta. You could say they looked similar, but they weren't the same.

The atmosphere at the Li family table was quite pleasant, or at least it passed for harmonious on the surface.

Li Qing had a good impression of Li Ke; he was a young man who loved to have fun, and the two found common ground easily. Throughout the meal, Li Shimin barely got a word in, as it was mostly Li Chengqian calling him "Foster Father" and Li Ke calling him "Uncle Qing."

"Uncle Qing," Li Ke took advantage of Li Shimin drinking his solitary cup of wine and pulled Li Qing aside to whisper, "What’s wrong with Father? He doesn’t seem to be in a very good mood."

"Don't ask about social affairs," Li Qing shook his head, not intending to tell Li Ke. "Knowing less is better for you."

"Your nephew understands." Li Ke was a clever man; he understood that Li Qing was protecting him by not telling him. If it involved some kind of secret, it wouldn't be solved by just cutting his fief by three hundred households. His title as the Prince of Wu might even be stripped. Even though he didn't care much about such things and preferred freedom, he would have even less freedom if he were reduced to a commoner. He wasn't some kind of romantic poet, after all.

"Third Brother, when you have nothing to do, don't just think about hunting and playing. It would be better to learn how to handle state affairs," Li Qing advised.

Li Ke smiled lightly, drained his cup, and glanced at Li Chengqian. "Thank you for the teaching, Uncle Qing, but your nephew is used to being idle."

As he said this, a flash of reluctance crossed his heart. But what good was reluctance? Li Ke was a smart man. His mother was a princess of the previous dynasty, and his grandfather was Emperor Yang of Sui. From any perspective, the possibility of him ascending the throne was slim to none. Furthermore, in the royal family, this was a way to protect himself.

"Third Brother, that’s not right. You are my brother. As the saying goes, 'Fighting tigers requires brothers.' In the future, I, as the big brother, will have to rely on the help of you brothers." Li Chengqian spoke from the heart. Knowing that his father loved him the most, his worries had vanished, and his heart felt sunnier than ever. Especially regarding their brotherhood—since his position was as stable as it could possibly be, it was good to strengthen their family bonds. After all, there was no one more trustworthy than a blood brother. Besides, he wasn't stupid; his father’s generation had dealt heavy blows to their own brothers, and he surely wouldn't want that tragedy to repeat in the next generation.

Having figured this out, Li Chengqian’s IQ, if weighed, would have been two pounds heavier than before.

*Li Jiancheng: Really? I don’t believe it.* (In the tone of Lu Yu)

"Your Highness the Crown Prince..." Li Ke wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Li Chengqian.

"Call me Big Brother," Li Chengqian patted Li Ke’s shoulder. "We are brothers; don't be a stranger." He didn't use the royal "we," positioning himself as a big brother rather than a Crown Prince.

Li Shimin, who had been watching this side, saw such a scene of fraternal harmony and couldn't help but smile with relief.

Li Qing picked up his cup and clinked it with theirs. "The eldest is right. There’s no reason for brothers to be suspicious of one another. Third Brother, you should start learning how to handle state affairs from your brother; you might need it later."

Need it? Li Ke and Li Chengqian looked at each other, unable to guess what Li Qing had up his sleeve. They wanted to ask, but found that Li Qing had already turned to chat with Li Shimin.